On Friday, Nov. 11 the Alliance for Environmental Sustainability is partnering with USGBC Illinois to bring a LEED for Homes workshop to the Chicago area. This is in response to the increasing demand for LEED projects and desire for building professionals to be more educated.

This full-day workshop is also something approved for LEED specific continuing education hours, which would be of interest to any LEED AP’s looking to maintain their credential. It’s also helpful for anyone intending to take the LEED AP + Homes exam. Here are the program details.

Register Now for the Workshop

LEED 252: Understanding LEED for Homes

Course Description:

In today’s business, LEED is the language of green. Make your next project a LEED for Homes project. Learn the intents and requirements of prerequisites and key credits within the LEED for Homes rating system.  Identify the roles and responsibilities of key stake holders, learn the value of green homes, and prepare for key considerations in the LEED^® for Homes certification process.

Course Objectives

* Identify the types of projects which are eligible
* Recognize the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders in the LEED certification process.
* Recognize goals, intents, and requirements of prerequisites and key credits, and strategies to meet them
* Identify synergies between LEED credits
* Plan for key considerations and requirements for the LEED certification process

Continuing Education: 7 AIA/CES/CoreNet / GBCI credits

When: Friday,  Nov. 11  from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Where: Merchandise Mart Conference Center, 350 West Mart Center (2nd Floor), Chicago, IL 60654

Tuition: Just $199 early bird price; $230 after 11/2/11

Register Now for the Workshop

AES recently summarized an article that outlines how any project can incorporate many strategies of LEED that can result in an affordably built LEED home. Learn more about these 22 tips for a LEED home at the main Alliance for Environmental Sustainability web site.

LEED has had its share of detractors lately whether it be concerns over post-occupancy performance, alignment with ENERGY STAR version 3, collaboration with Passive House, or the impact of green buildings on human health. There are many voices that have talked about ways to improve the LEED for Homes rating system.

Now, those looking to shape the future of green building have through the end of the year to make their voices heard.  All versions of LEED, including LEED for Homes, will be finalized in 2011, due to launch in just over a year at the beginning of 2012.

Here are the details: Read more » »

The folks at ICC have made the download of the IECC 2009 Energy Code available at no cost – yes that’s right – you can download it for free at www.iccsafe.org/FreeIECC.

The national model energy code of choice for states, cities and counties that adopt codes, the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is referenced in federal law determined by Congress through the Energy Policy Act of 1992. It is the only energy code that serves as the basis for federal tax credits for energy-efficient homes, energy efficiency standards for federal residential buildings and manufactured housing, and state residential energy code determinations. The 2009 IECC is the target building energy code that all 50 Governors agreed to achieve compliance with under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

We’ve talked before how IECC 2009 compares with LEED for Homes, and this reference material being made available for free is a great tool for residential design and construction teams.

The Greenbuild Legacy project is using one of USGBC’s latest additions to the LEED product line-up.  This overview is for those of you not familiar with the LEED for Homes program.

In January of 2008, LEED for Homes officially became an active rating system for the residential market. Its introduction offered an opportunity for single family, multi-family, and low-rise housing to be considered for LEED certification. At this time, only new construction and major gut-rehab projects are eligible for the program.

Since its introduction, over 25,000 homes have registered and 6,300 have been certified. This compares to about 20,000 registered and 5,000 certified projects for all of the other commercial LEED products combined. Read more » »

In order to assist green building project teams and LEED for Homes project teams, USGBC has produced a LEED for Homes Homeowners Operations and Maintenance
(HOM) Manual.

The HOM Manual was developed to support the LEED for Homes prerequisite AE 1: Education of the Homeowner or Tenant, and to provide tips on maintaining a LEED-certified home. Be sure to read the Project Team Instructions for how to properly use and customize the manual.

The manual is available to all project teams and can assist anyone looking for information on how a home works.

Download the Basic Operations Training manual (AE1.1)

Habitat for Humanity Lake County has teamed up with USGBC and Bank of America to build two LEED Platinum homes side-by-side as part of the Greenbuild 2010. The homes will offer a miniature regional green building case study in occupancy costs down the road for two construction types.

Both homes will have the same floor plan and appearance but will be built using two different construction methods. The Greenbuild Legacy Home project will feature state of the art ICF and panelized construction, while the second home, targeted for 75% competition by Greenbuild, will be built using conventional stick construction as an opportunity for Greenbuild attendees to view its construction process. Currently both homes are aiming to achieve LEED for Homes Platinum certification. Construction cost data and performance will be tracked and published for both homes once both are complete. USGBC’s commitment to affordable green housing extends beyond Greenbuild, as fully 40% of the homes in the LEED for Homes program are affordable.

The Alliance for Environmental Sustainability will serve as the LEED for Homes Provider on the project. Learn more about this affordable housing project by viewing the full article at Real Estate Rama.

Wood frame home on left, ICF home on right

Solar panels and wind turbines sold Meg Barrett and Doug Smit on the Prairie Ridge Estates development in New Lenox. “I would be an ambassador for this type of technology,” Barrett said. (David Pierini, Chicago Tribune / July 28, 2010)

A newly formed company thinks the beacon that will attract homebuyers to its patch of dirt in New Lenox isn’t a clubhouse or walking paths, the extras that once drew attention to new subdivisions, but 30-foot-tall vertical-axis wind turbines.

Prairie Ridge Estates, as envisioned by local developers Jim and Phil Regan, could just possibly become the nation’s largest net-zero energy subdivision, filled with homes that produce as much energy as they use during a year.

But selling 132 lots of really green housing also could prove a formidable task for Energy Smart Home Builders, and not just because homebuilding has screeched to a halt.

View full Chicago Tribune article

Reproduced from Chicago Tribune, Aug 3, 2010.

A speculative home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright that has fallen into disrepair will now be an intersection of historic preservation and green building, as Eifler and Associates embarks on a LEED for Homes rehabilitation in Glencoe, IL.

Rendering upon completion

Read more » »

LEED for Homes project teams that sign up for USGBC’s Building Performance Partnership (BPP) are now eligible to earn an optional point in Innovation and Design (ID) point for Utility Tracking, which will be done via EarthAid.net.

For the residential market, providing performance data for energy and water usage after occupancy is not required as in other Read more » »